ABSTRACT
The US and UK forces that invaded Iraq in 2003 displayed a high degree of air–land synergy; precision attack and rapid manoeuvre by well-equipped and well-trained land and air forces led to the defeat of the Iraqi military more quickly than many commentators had predicted. The British found that establishing an adequate ISTAR capability for their forces in Afghanistan required not only more collection systems, analysts and bandwidth, but also a change of approach. The tank’s heavy gun provided a unique capability for attacking bunkers and buildings. The organisation acted as a conduit for funding, training and advice to special groups of Shia militias, improving their capability to attack Coalition forces. In Afghanistan, as the size and capability of indigenous forces increased, the creation of infrastructure and institutions became more important. The transition strategy in Iraq depended on building the country’s security capability.
